#does this count as queerbaiting ...

[headphonemouse]

Orv webtoon ad making yjh look like a clingy gf

[sixteenthtry]

I know bro wrote this while pushing his glasses up with his index finger and a hand on his hip☝🏻🤓

[cosmic-espero]

I won't lie Will is a much better person than me because imagine hanging out with himbo extraordinaire Leon Strohl Da Haliaetus under the starry night sky only for him to gift you a seashell bracelet, which by the way later turns out to be culturally associated to romance by the Mustari because your supposed canon love interest literally gives you another shell with a similar function and describes it as a gift wives give their husbands.

And then he tells you he likes you.

And right as you're already planning a summer wedding, the motherfucker adds "like a brother".

Like, I would've ended up on the news.

[sewersewersewercouch]

oh she is doing so good with the fact that her amnesia that has caused so much pain and tribulation for her was a plot device. girl who is coping so well and awesomely. "forgets everything she knows" written on her body. fucks sake

[pigeonentity]

please stop phrasing enthusiasm for your ship/annoyance at your ship not being canon as an attack at people who don't ship it

its rude but also we keep dipping into arophobia here

[mysteryhack]

lmao I still remember the first time I noticed the hints (it was some comment Walky made about “my girlfriend Dorothy and Dorothy’s girlfriend Joyce”) and I was like oh ok interesting. and I never noticed it again bc I was still deluded into thinking I was straight.

rereading the comic and realizing Joyce and Dorothy have been circling around each other for fifteen goddamn years was hilarious. heteronormativity has killed our reading comprehension.

jesus christ

[xanfeursel]

thinking about "you are with me forever" again. what the hell

[kismetconstellations]

@sockdooe, I apologize in advance if you're as clueless as I am, but I genuinely want to know.

What is the L/K "queerbait" I keep seeing people complain about? Did something major happen between Lance and Keith in seasons Five and Six-- like, they leaned in toward each other as if they were going to kiss only for it to be a gag/fake out?

I watched five seasons of this cartoon and saw absolutely no hint of anything baity with those characters.

Though I do see the validity in claims that fans were baited by Adam's significance in the show being hyped up

only for his actual role to not amount to much more than another means of hurting Shiro, this, in my opinion, is the closest the show got to genuinely baiting its audience:

There's no reason to animate Keith moving in for a hug this way, other than to give the impression that he was about to kiss Shiro like he's the fairytale prince to Shiro's Sleeping Beauty.

Continuing to interpret two teenaged boys butting heads and competing with each other as "sexual tension", even after, from what I read, the voice actor for one of those boys confirmed that his character is exclusively attracted to women, does not count as legitimate queerbaiting.

[worstqueerbaittournament]

Submission message for Steve and Bucky: Does Stucky count? Steve and Bucky from Captain America

Submission message for Charles and Erik: Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr (aka Professor X and Magneto) from anything X-Men

Additional propaganda for Stucky:

Stucky: "Of course, this is still a rollicking adventure tale and no adventure is complete without a love story.....the longest, most tortured one in Marvel history" - Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (writers of Captain America movies + Avengers Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame)

"from the meet cute to the tragic separation, their bond has all the elements of a classic romance." - Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

"Just as Jeph and Tim’’s earlier Daredevil: Yellow, Spider-Man: Blue, and Hulk: Gray all dealt with the major love interests in, the heroes’ lives, so too does Captain America: White. Steve and Bucky are each other’s soulmate." - Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

“So you have a character in Captain America who is searching for the only thing that he has left from his past that has any meaning to him, and that’s Bucky; and people have interpreted that relationship all kinds of ways and it’s great...we will never define it, as filmmakers, explicitly." - The Russos (Captain America: Civil War press)

"You mean, aside from Cap and Bucky?" - Anthony Russo (co-director of Cap 2 and 3 and Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame) when asked about romance in Captain Amierca: Civil War

"Moderator: But you already had a romantic B story with Cap and Bucky, right?

Anthony: We sure do

Joe: We still do

Moderator: Did you ever had to dial down the sexual tension on set?

Joe: Why would we?" - Anthony and Joe Russo (directors of Cap 2 and 3 and Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame) at a screening of Captain America: Civil War

Just a few examples directly from Marvel and the writers and directors.

#between these two?? stucky hands down#yes both were called love stories but stucky wasn't called a love story just once

also to add on stucky became so huge and widely acknowledged by audiences you had stuff like bbc making a stucky fanvid

major companies like starbucks and astroglide tweeting in support of them as well as celebrities and big media outlets constantly writing articles about them (typically about why they should be made canon)

like stucky was featured in time magazine cuz it was the basis for the 'givecaptainamericaaboyfriend' thing that happened on twitter which ended up trending at number two worldwide

and not only are they mentioned in wikipedia's page on queerbaiting but wikipedia also has an entire page dedicated solely to the ship

Additional propaganda for Cherik

Okay but Cherik (Spot 12) is so incredibly queer I can’t even—

Like straight up they have a kid together because Professor X siphoned off Magneto into his brain and then they did a mind meld thing and Onslaught came out of Professor X like Athena from Zeus.

There was a recent story arc where they defeated Onslaught and the guy who defeated Onslaught straight up said something like ‘Professor X and Magneto aren’t doing anything because they have a soft spot for their murderous joint kid entity’. Please bear in mind that this guy is also straight-up Professor X’s son and a telepath.

Also this comic book cover is literally the gayest thing I have ever seen.

Magneto is a bara daddy for 0 reason and Professor X is supposed to be dead, yet looks like a twink having the absolute time of his LIFE.

Also in a marvel comic specifically for celebrating canon queer couples there’s this stunner of a panel:

Why is this not canon again???

God, the matched Hellfire Gala outfits are making me insane in the membrane.

For context here’s literally THEE couple of the X-men universe at the exact same party:

They’re complimentary— even they’re not fucking MATCHING. For the love of god just let the old men kiss holy shit.

[dotthings]

Playing the telephone game here since there's no video, but looking at various tweets summarizing what Misha said, my takeaway is the writers were aware, and leaned into it purposefully, Misha was concerned that if it wasn't openly confirmed, that opened it up to queerbaiting accusations, that people could construe it that way [note that Misha, like the writers, ran with it, because how else are you going to do the thing despite not being permitted to do the thing, you put an exhaust port in the Death Star] and so he was relieved and pleased when the writers told him they could do Cas's confession.

From past comments we also know he was shocked the network even allowed the confession. "We can do that???" Which again...shows you the state of affairs. Multiple creatives who were for it. And felt the ceiling imposed from on high.

Therefore, Misha Collins pretty much said Destiel isn't queerbaiting.

Yes, Cas's confession counts. Yes it's canonical and openly confirmed as far as Cas being in love with Dean. PR still buried it, but I'm talking about the text, and the meaning of what Misha said.

Why is anyone still mucking around about whether it's canon or not? Does PR make something canon? Is PR (big interviews, magazine covers, DVD extras commentary) the only way Destiel is canon?

Do writers' work count for nothing? Writer intent?

How about Misha, who inhabited Cas for 12 seasons?

Does the actual content of what aired and we saw on screen count for anything???? (including implications on Dean's feelings, which is queer coding, not openly confirmed the way Cas's were, but also not "fanon" either)

Misha might as well have stood on that con stage and shouted DESTIEL IS CANON.

Yeah lol no I'm not going to stop saying Destiel is canon any time soon.

[mcytqueerbaitshowdown]

propaganda in prev tags

[ruuufus]

I'm so hyped about the Wednesday season 2 trailer! It looks like this season is gonna be such a rollercoaster and I'm foaming at the mouth to get my thoughts out.

Okay so I definitely am a major Wenclair shipper. But I have been around the queerbaiting block more times than I can count. So I'm not letting myself hope the show will actually make them canon in any capacity. I certainly want it. I think we've got a great setup for it. I just genuinely doubt Netflix or Tim Burton would take it in that direction.

That being said I am so so so sooooo excited for Wednesday and Enids dynamic this season. How will Wednesday react when she receives the first vision indicating Enid will die? How will it change her interactions with Enid? How will Enid interpret Wednesdays change in their interactions? I can practically taste the angst already.

I'm not really gonna touch on Tyler and the new werewolf boy much because tbh I don't care about them, but I know some people do. I'm not expecting Wednesday and Enid to be together romantically. But that does not mean I want these characters to settle for trash men. I am Tylers number 1 hater and dont see that changing soon. This new guy I will give a chance but I'm not settling for mediocrity.

I'm just so excited to see Wednesday and Enid grow. I expect Wednesday to do some really insane things to try to save Enid. I also don't expect that Wednesday will inform Enid of the visions until later in the season. In my head I'm envisioning Wednesday getting so locked in on saving Enid that she stops caring about anything else. And I suspect in some way, probably emotionally, that will actually hurt Enid. Ugh, like I said Im dying to see this angst play out.

Enid I really am excited to see what her life is like now that she doesn't have wolfing out looming over her. I am also dying to see what her reaction will be when she finds out that 1) Wednesday saw a vision that she'll die. But more importantly 2) Wednesday has been (probably literally) killing herself working to save her. Will Enid be mad? Will she be confused? Will either of them be able to put into words the immense care they hold for each other (even if its not romantic ((though I really want it to be))).

Narratively I think this is also just a fantastic plot line for the second season. Whereas in season 1 Wednesday was operating from an unemotional sense of justice and truth to save many people. Here it seems she will be operating from a purely emotional sense of loyality, care, and love for her one true friend. She will go to any length neccesary to save just one person, which feels like such a stronger narrative.

I also wonder how Wednesday will cope with what are clearly emotional motivations. Dedicating ones self to saving the life of another is incredibly emotional. Will Wednesday learn to acknowledge the care she holds in her heart for Enid? Will she be able to recognize it as love (platonic or otherwise). And if she can recognize it, will she admit it to Enid?

I don't expect Enid to actually die. Mostly because, I just couldn't keep watching the show if that happened. I haaaate when big shows kill off a core character (teen wolf and arrow being my least favorite examples). I think though Wednesday is the main character, the show would not be compelling without her and Enids dynamic. I have to imagine they know that, because why tease Enids death before the shows even released.

I do expect someone to die. My prediction, is Thing. I expect this season to be about Wednesday learning to acknowledge and appreciate the connections she has formed. Thing has been connected to her (and the Addams family) since time in memoriam. He's loyal to her, and to Enid and loves them both dearly. I think his death would be incredibly emotional, shocking and developing for everyone. I also feel like if it was Thing, the marketing team has done a great job of setting up such a tragic death with the inclusion of Thingtok. Plus the trailer ends with thing standing in a graveyard.

Okay now heres a list of my random last minute thoughts

1) The dress Wednesday is wearing in the dance seen is truly gorgeous. I hope all the characters can be at the dance in formal clothes. But I know it might just be an Addams thing.

2) Phantom of the opera was an incredible choice for the trailer. Literally chills

3) I'm excited for Eugene and Pugsley to be friends

4) What's Bianca up to this season? Serving looks for sure, but I'm excited to see her.

5) What did Morticia mean by "she knows what those tears mean" and that she wont let this happen again? Does morticia have a similar event in her past? Ugh can't wait to find out

6) "Padded Room" technically has 3 d's

7) this isn't in the trailer but I saw Billie Piper is in this season and that casting choice I feel was made with me specifically in mind! Yes girl!

8) Shoutout to Jenna Ortega and Emma Myers cause their acting this season is gonna eat so fucking hard

9) the zipline is so funny to me

10) Even if Wenclair isn't canon, I just know the fanfics that come after this season are gonna be the most emotionally devastating I have ever read. Cannot wait.

Okay well I think thats all thats on my mind. Best of luck til August everyone!

[charcubed]

Go the fuck OFF @ilarual holy shit!!!!!! Cosigned a million times over!!!!!

Controversial suggestion: Supernatural.

Is it going to win? God I hope not. But there really are canonically queer characters. They just happened to also do as much queerbaiting as they conceivably could before revealing Cas was gay the whole time and never letting Dean acknowledge it. And the whole pulling 'bury your gays' on Charlie and Cas. But hey, Claire was still alive!

I'm going to put this one up to a poll

[perhapspluto]

okay so- i know a lot of people have been talking about 911 and queerbaiting and specifically whether or not this would even Really count as queerbaiting in this scenario.

so obviously queerbaiting is a specific and meaningful term- and it has to be to avoid everyone and their mother using it just because their ship didnt go canon. its a hint and "promise" of queerness and a refusal to deliver. destiel is, of course, the blueprint, but im gonna mostly use klance and voltron for my discussion in this point since i was #There and i dont really know enough about spn to have a meaningful conversation about it.

the thing about queer representation in media, particularly tv, is that it has changed dramatically in the past few decades. and such, queerbaiting has changed as well. it is significantly easier to get away with queerbaiting when the culture you are creating a show in is one that does not value queer people or queer stories. not to say that it doesnt happen today necessarily, but i think the tactics that were used in past examples of queerbaiting are still being used today, just in different ways.

using my little examples- both voltron and 911 have very similar sweeping problems when it comes to queer issues. theyre both post-obergefell and exist in a culture where queerness is seen as something that can be portrayed mainstream AND get fans invested- vld does this (eventually) with shiro, 911 with henren and eventually buck. however, once these characters have the "queer" label slapped on them, there is no meaningful care given to what this means. shiro was given a boyfriend, killed him the same episode, and in the end paired him with a man who had maybe 1 line. henren are constantly sidelined, particularly compared to the rest of the main cast, and is often forced into incredibly heteronormative behaviors (hen as the "husband" karen as the "wife"). buck hasnt been given the chance to think abt his sexuality at all, and was just sort of paired off with the first guy he kissed. since 911 is still in progress, there is obviously room to grow and change (particularly when it comes to buck's sexuality), but the pattern in lack of care is consistent.

they both also have a different, non-canon ship that draws both significant viewership and discussion online- klance and buddie respectively. the cast, crew, and network all know about this and use it their advantage. there are several examples storyboard artists posting klance drawings on their public accounts and i will genuinely never forget the impact of the "you are deserving of respect" drawing from 2016. to this day man. 911 does this too, especially post switch to abc. the actors talk about how they would love to do it if it was a pitched, they see it too dont worry fans! and not to mention the media tour they sent ostark and rg on the week before the finale.

maybe a different term would be more appropriate (shipbaiting ??), but it does not change the fact that abc and 911 is continuously over promising and under delivering, both in terms of fan ships and cared for queer representation. they are leaving the option of buddie vague and open because it will keep people watching- something they NEED, especially after peter krause's departure. i think that as it stands now, buddie is absolutely, 100% being baited. whether it falls specifically under "queerbait" can be debated, especially since the show is still on air and things can and will change. but if it continues, if it doesn't end up either canon or explicitly shut down before the final season, i feel like it can solidly be categorized as queerbait.

[mairyal]

Why buddie not going canon feels like queerbaiting, despite BT being there.

I'll get straight to the point. BuckTommy's writing largely lacked development and queer representation. I know it sounds like an oxymoron but stay with me.

When I talk about queer representation, I'm not talking about throwing two people in a room and making them kiss, I am talking about a whole journey of self discovery and deconstruction. The process of learning to be vulnerable and letting others know who we truly are. A journey that was largely missing in the BT relationship. Buck came to terms with his sexuality extremely easily — great! but somehow felt rushed. And Tommy's development, while briefly hinted, was ultimately sidelined and reduced to background noise/paranoia. None of them dealt with self doubt, gender roles or societal expectations on screen which is something I would 100% expect from two stereotypically straight, masculine firefighters. As much as I appreciate normalisation, it ended up feeling a bit oversimplified. And, no, unfortunately what actors say in interviews does NOT count as character development.

(plus, I don't really like their pairing, but I delved into that in a previous post and it's not really the point rn)

When we talk about buddie, on the other hand, we have a huge unexpressed potential: Eddie. It's not casual that his queerness realisation and his feelings realization were the hot topics of this season's speculations. He literally needs to deal with:

1. Religious trauma.

2. Imposed toxic masculinity.

3. Difficult relationship with his parents.

4. Self doubt and deconstruction.

5. The extremely confusing reality of having to discern whether he feels platonic or romantic feelings towards his best friend.

6. Expectations that need to be met (I can see him spiraling over the idea that Chris might prefer having a mother... While Chris adores Buck and doesn't care)

All things that many queer people can relate to and long to see represented, at least I know I do. It's not just about having a queer character or relationship on the show, it's all about how said character/relationship is portrayed and how it resonates with the people watching. As soon as the writers and the RP team started hinting at buddie going canon, all of it suddenly felt real and promised.

But it didn't happen. And we felt robbed.

[lockoutkey]

the average pop punk musician does not queerbait. pete wentz, who got shipped with half of the mid 2000s emo scene, is an anomaly and should not have been counted.